Border to Border - Chapter 7

Simcoe and Honey Harbour, Ontario.

 

The ride from Ottawa to Simcoe was a pleasant seven hours with stops for gas and lunch. We spent Friday night at Dennis' and Nora's house. Early Saturday we rode off to Honey Harbour about fours hours north of Simcoe. Here Dennis and Nora have built themselves a beautiful cottage on a large parcel of prime real estate. Dennis' closest neighbour is about half a mile away.

 

On our arrival we learnt that they had had a tornado the previous evening. As a result they had no hydro power. However, Dennis had planned for such an event and had installed solar panels. We had power to operate the entire house except for the kitchen stove. The propane burner and BBQ grill solved that problem.

 

The weather was great. Morning were about 60 degrees and afternoons it got to 80 degrees. This made for nice sleeping weather and days to enjoy as nature intended ala Sandpiper style.

 

On our trip north we stopped in Barrie for lunch. We also got to visit Midland and Orillia. This region is heavily forested and prime hunting and fishing area. American make up a large percentage of the summer population of this area. 

 

Mary while closing a window got to see a black bear scamper into the woods about twenty feet from the back deck.

 

Attached are some photos taken from "Chez MacNeill" showing the lake and island where we stayed.

 

Our time in Canada is over.

 On leaving we have about a four hour ride south

  and will cross the BORDER at Buffalo.

 More about that next time.

 

John & Mary

Border to Border - Chapter 6

Ottawa

 

 

After leaving family in Montreal Mary and I rode the 157 km to Ottawa. This was Mary's first visit to Canada's capital. The last time John was there was as a 10 year old. While growing up in Montreal a person had to be 16 to go to a movie theater. On my boyhood trip we got to go to the movies. SHANE was the top movie at the time.

 

Ottawa has changed. Many more sites to visit and things to do. We had a tour of the Parliament and with the members away on summer vacation we were able to stand in the House of Commons and the floor of the Senate.

 

In 1967 the Confederation memorial was dedicated. This memorial is round with the crests of each province. The center of the memorial has water cascading over the crests. In the center of the water there burns an eternal flame. It's a nice combination of fire and water. A nightime picture is attached.

 

A boat ride on the Ottawa river allowed us to see Ottawa from a different perspective. We got a view of many of the countries embassies that are represented. While cruising we passed a rocky outcrop. A nudist was sunning on the rocks and gave a show by jumping into the river as we passed. This was within view of the Parliament. We don't know if this was a protest or a show.

 

After Ottawa we are off to Simcoe to visit Dennis and Nora, more about that later.

 

John and Mary 

A Party!

Mike’s birthday party

Come help Mike celebrate his birthday

 on Sunday, July 28.

 

 Brad and Barb are hosting the celebration with birthday cake, hamburgers and hotdogs

at their place, lot 10, at 5 pm.

 

You are welcome to bring a dish, but it’s not necessary.

No gifts, but the birthday boy does love birthday cards.

If you have questions, see

 Mike’s mom Sheryl at lot 11

 or Barb at lot 10.

So, come have dinner and birthday cake with Mike on Sunday, July 28 at 5 pm on lot 10.

Africa Hot!

Whew!  It feels like a blow dryer smack in your face outside.

Everyday forecast for this week is 101 degrees in the shade...feels like 110!

Next door John & Sue are having a new roof put on their mobile, and those fellas work right through the heat of the day with hardly a break. Tough duty!

Jim has had his hip replacement surgery and joined the ranks of Sandpiper Bionic Peeps. 

He has a month of rehab ahead and is not thrilled with having homework exercises...but he does them, if not happily.

I guess we won't be escaping the heat this summer.
Phooey!
Think I'll go shopping.

Border to Border-Chapter 5!

Montreal - what can I say having growing up here

it brings back lots of memories.

 One thing that has not changed - Montreal drivers have their turn signals removed at the time their vehicle leaves the dealer.

 

This trip was to visit John's aunts, 96 and 84 years,

Mary's sister, 84 years, Mary's two nephews and one niece,

 a friend she knew from the first grade and a friend

 with whom she went to high school.

 

 

This was a good visit giving both lots of time to bring up family history and jog our elders memories.

We were able to take a side trip and visit with Robert and Lucie. Here is a picture of the two relaxing at their home.

 

While visiting we were able to slip away for a few hours

and visit Oka park.

 We used to go there when we lived in Montreal.

 About 25 years ago the locals started a nude beach.

Since this is provinical park nudity at this park is tolerated.

The walk from the parking lot and the textile beach

 to the nude beach is about 4.5 kilometers.

This is a nice sandy beach and on a weekday

had about 100 nudists enjoying the 90 degrees. 

 

After Montreal we will be heading west to Ottawa,

but that will wait for the next chapter.

 

 

Hugs,

John & Mary

Border to Border-Chapter 4!

July 3, departed Greenville, NC for Monrovia NY with an overnight stop in Frederick MD.

For the first time on the road we donned our rain suits.

It rained for about two hours. This slowed our trip.

 We are pleased to report that the bike

handled very well on wet roads.

We arrived Empire Haven to visit with Lou and Alma at 2pm.

 On Saturday July 6th we said goodbye to Lou and Alma

and headed north on I-81.

At about noon we crossed in to Canada.

The crossing was smooth.

  Canada customs asked the usual questions.

 

Shortly after crossing we stopped at a roadside store

 and changed the Spyder from mph to km/h.

I'm getting to old to constantly covert miles to kilometers.

This may riding easier.

Once this was completed we turned east on Ontario 402 - destination Montreal. Riding at 120 was no problem, that's 75 mph, but I did like to see 120 on the speedo.

 

 

More later,

John & Mary

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Summer Water Volleyball Hours

Summer Water Volleyball Hours:
Tuesday and Friday - 11AM

Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday - 6:30pm

Book Club Summer Reading Recommendations.

Recommended Books

 

Summer Book Club Gathering July 11, 2013

 

The End of Your Life Book Club – Will Schwalbe (NF)

How the Scots Invented the Modern World – Arthur Herman (NF)

The Butler Did It – Kasey Michaels (F)

The Weird Sisters – Eleanor Brown (F)

And the Mountains Echoed – Khaled Hosseini (F)

Cooked – Michael Pollan (NF)

Dreams of Joy – Lisa See (F)

Shanghai Girl – Lisa See (F)

Bel Canto – Ann Patchett (F)

The Ice Princess – Camilla Lackberg (F)

The Preacher – Camilla Lackberg (F)

My Lobotomy – Howard Dully (NF)

Dream Weaver – Penina Spinka (F)

The Persecution of Mildred Dunlap – Paulette Mahurin (F)

A Week in Winter – Mauve Binchy (F)

The Last Stand – Nathaniel Philbreak (NF)
(Note: Custer / Little Big Horn)
 

Black Hills  - Dan Simmons

Sorrow.

 

To our sorrow we learned that 

Sharon Ramsey passed away Friday evening

about 9:30.

 

She was a lovely woman

in every sense of the word.

  No arrangements yet.

 

Scary Close Call!

 

Just got an email from Dr. Bob. 

A tornado touched down Wednesday

 just a couple of blocks from their house in Peru, Indiana.

 

  They escaped unscathed, others not so lucky!

 

A VERY close call!

 

Tornado Damage In Peru, IN

 

Wearing Zip, Let's Skinny Dip!

Annual AANR Skinny Dip Event

 

This Saturday, July 13, at 1:00pm, Sandpipers will join thousands of other Nudists all over North America at the

Guinness World Record Skinny Dip

for the largest number of people simultaneously in the water without swimsuits.

Come out on Saturday at 12:30 to register

and then hit the water for the count and photo.

A picnic lunch will follow at 2pm...

A Free Hot Dog Plate

(Thanks Bob & Penna)

 

So be there as we compete in the world record skinny dip.
  Be there before 1pm and in the pool.  

Info about New Mexico from Bob & Cindy.

I snitched this off of Facebook 'cause it's great info for us travelers.

 

It's an email to Penna from Bob & Cindy about

 their New Mexico travels....

*************************

Hi Bob & Penna
I don't know if you are still at SPR or if you have hit the road. Bob, you had asked me to tell you about our experiences in New Mexico and give you any recommendations of sights to see.
It took us 21/2 days to get from Edinburg to Elephant Butte New Mexico. We went thru El Paso and made a brief stop at a store that had signs for miles along the highway. The store, El Paso Saddle and Blanket is right of the highway and does have parking for RV's. Basically it sell Mexican blankets made in India. They had every thing from blankets to saddles to furniture. They really want you to sign up to be a retailer of their products at flea markets and on line. Not a great stop, but interesting.
Our camp in south New Mexico was Monticello RV Park in Elephant Butte. I would not recommend this place. Elephant Butte is a state park. There used to be a large man made lake there. It has shrunk down 60% due to 15 years of drought. At one time the camp ground had been right on the banks of the lake. Now it is a dusty, hot RV camp.
We were near the town of Truth or Consequences. This is an interesting town known for it's mineral baths. We took one at the Big Bend Spa. We went very early in the morning while it was still cool outside. They served coffee and for a reasonable price we were allowed to soak in the mineral springs which look like hot tubs, but are supposed to have healing power. That day we took a tube ride down the Rio Grand River. We had purchased a package which included the mineral baths and the tube ride. It was fun. We poked around the Geronimo Museum in Truth or Consequences. There we learned how the town got it's name.
One day we went to Three Rivers Petroglyph National Monument. It was an easy hike and we saw the best Petroglyphs. We went to 2 other petroglyph sights that were not as good. That day we drove to Ruidoso. It is at the base of the Apache Ski area. I think this is an ideal place to stay for a few days because of cooler temperatures. There is a nearby casino. We had a great meal at Rosie O'Mally's Irish Pub in Ruidoso and then wondered the streets. This only took a half day.
We did make anther trip to the Glia National Monument. This has some of the earliest examples of the Indian Cave dwellings. The ride in the park to get there was very picturesque and worth the ride. The forrest rangers in charge gave us a good history of the place.
Sky City is further south and west and definitely worth a visit. For me a must was a visit to White Sands National Monument. The sand was cool despite the intense sun. We spent a week in South New Mexico and it was more then enough.
The ride to Santa Fe knocked my socks off. There was beauty over every hill and around every curve. Santa Fe we went to the Lotto Church, a church with a spiral stair case that has no support. We also visited the Palace of Governors and the New Mexico museum right next to it. We drove down to Albuquerque a few times. We took the Sandia Tram. It is a must see. We went to the Pueblo Cultural Center. On weekends they have Native Americans there who show some of the Ritual dances as well as talk about Native Americans. That day we also went to the New Mexico Museum of Natural Science and History. It is the best natural museum I have ever visited. We could have spent 2 days there.
We also went north from Santa Fe to Taos. We did some hiking there. The Taos Pueble was another interesting Native American stop. Santa Fe was great because the temperatures stayed in the low 80's with low humidity. As we went up to Taos the temps. dropped into the low t mid 70s during the day. One of our trips up toward Tao was to Los Alamos. I think that is a definite stop.
Bandolier National Monument was north west of Santa Fe and a great stop.
Our RV park was on the southern outskirts of Santa Fe. It took us only 10 min to get to the old city. Used the park, Los Suenos de Santa Fe RV park as our central point. We got up early every day and most days drove up to hundred miles to get to the places Cindy picked out. She did a great job researching and planning each days trip.
We are now in Las Vegas where the temps as we drove in registered 116 on our car thermometer. Even at nite it is only cooling down to 90 F. We are having some trouble getting the temp down in our motor home. We are here for a week before we head north to Utah and then Wyoming.
I hope this helps you with your plans. You must visit New Mexico. I think it is the most beautiful state I have seen so far.
Be well and we will talk soon.

Bob
I thought I sent this 2 wks ago. I found it in my draft box. We have left Las Vegas and we are now in an RV Park outside Bryce National Park.
Talk to you soon.

 

Papayas in the Summertime!

Ian & Terry have a papaya tree in their front yard.

Before they left it produced enough for her to can a bunch and return with the bounty to Canada.

 

Since the heat of summer that tree is on steroids.

 

I have been making...

 

Papaya Preserves...(WONDERFUL)

Spiced Papaya Jam...(THE BEST)

Papaya Fruit Chutney...(LOOKS BAD...

TASTES GREAT, THO NEEDS MORE HEAT)

Papaya Smoothies...(OK)
Fresca Papaya Salsa...yum!

Frozen papaya chunks for future consideration...

Fresh Papaya with vanilla yogurt...(YUM)

Frozen Papaya Margaritas. (GROSS, THO I DRANK IT 'CAUSE IT HAD TEQUILA)

 

If there is much left I will sell excess at Junque & Java in the winter.

 

So far my best is the Papaya Preserves and the Spiced Papaya Jam (which is really misnamed.  Perhaps Papaya Ketchup is better.)

Fabulous added to BBQ sauce or as a sauce with ham or pork, or a dipping sauce with anything oriental...egg-rolls, tempura! 

 TO-DIE-FOR!

 

Terry & Ian...I will pay my toll!



Sorrow From Quebec.

We just want to express our sorry to all of our wonderful fellow Sandpipers from Quebec with the awful disaster at Lac-Mégantic.

It is just so horrific to imagine what happened Sat. night.


from,

James and Janet MacDonald

Summer Book Club-July

Summer Book Club

 

 

 

What have you read lately?

Would you like suggestions on summer reading? 

 

 This Thursday, July 11, at 7 pm

the Summer Book Club

will meet at Gloria’s house, lot 43.

This will be a general discussion about books

 we’ve read or want to read.

  Everyone is welcome. 

 Cake and coffee,

 and maybe some wine,

will be served. 

Flags of the 4th!

Stan has outdone himself this time.

What a glorious display!

 

The flowers are co-operating and blooming their heads off.

So lovely!

John & Mary-Border to Border -Chapter Three

After visiting Newport News and Jamestown we stopped at Greenville, NC to visit family - immigrants from Canada.

 

Greenville is the home of East Carolina University.

The population is about 110,000.

 

 Being a college town it must cater to the students.

We found Winslows.

Winslows started out in the late 1800's as a livery housing,

 buying, selling and trading horses, mules etc.

 It evolved into a family style restaurant.

Today it caters mostly to the college crowd and the locals.

 

What is the favorite libation of college students ----- beer!

They serve over a 100 draft beers and

about the same number of beer in bottles.

 

For the beer enthusiasts at SPR here is a picture of the bar area and one from their retail store, yes they sell beer and wine also.

 

We are on our way to Moravia, NY.

We will let you know what we find there.

 

 

John & Mary

Come Forth on the 4th!

 

Elaine & Ken, and newcomers Barb & Jim,

are arranging an impromptu picnic by the pool

for the late afternoon of the 4th of July...5:30pm. 

 

 

Simply hotdogs...no muss, no fuss!

Oh, and chips, too!

BYOB

They will be in the shade pavilion by the pool...

and stay to play water volleyball afterward.

 

Questions?

Track down Elaine, Ken, Barb or Jim and ask them.

The Gumby Boys!

Mike & Sharon did a jet boat ride with Diane & Richard in Montreal...good look guys!